The Day After Players

The day after Queen’s Players inevitably means a hangover. And now that I’m getting older, it means an even worse one, even though I didn’t actually drink that much, looking back on it.

We had an awesome time – He ended coming after all, which was nice, and we met up with Shira, J-Rob and Rayce, all former Players themselves. It was great time – the show was really good, and I highly advise people to go check it out – it’s on next week too, and I’ll be going on Saturday night – as should you! For $20, it’s a good night out, and all the money goes to charity, which is pretty friggin awesome. And let’s us get away with shit.

Today I nursed my hangover and He went to a work BBQ in North York. North York! He brought back some BBQ though, so that was cool.

I did everything I could think of to rid myself of the hang, including the following:

• drinking tea
• drinking Coke
• eating chocolate
• eating meat
• eating salty stuff (Fritos from Bulk Barn – 15% off on Wednesday’s if you kept your never-expires student card!)
• sleeping
• swimming in our pool
• taking Tylenol

Nothing worked until I started cleaning the house at like, 10 p.m. Somehow that did it? Any other hangover remedies people have that I should have tried?

That’s A Big Bottle

Tonight, It’s Gonna Be A Party

Yo yo yo! Tonight’s is Queen’s Players (Toronto), and I can’t wait! If you don’t know what Queen’s Players is – well, Google that shit! It’s comedy, it’s rock and roll, it’s sex and drugs (not really Mom, promise), it’s you in high school, university, and the best thing you’ll ever want to do. (Okay, He wouldn’t describe it this way, but it’s my post, and I’ma do what I want).

Tonight marks the first night I’ll see the new show, True Rock. It’s gonna be amazing. My friend Shira and I choreographed the accapella and one of the dance numbers, since both our schedules are too erratic to audition to be in the show these days. See some of our past AWESOME work here and here. Hopefully, next year that will change and we can both take the stage again. IT WOULD BE LIKE THIS:

There maaaay still be some tickets at the door for this run, so if you’re looking for, oh, a really great time, I suggest you get. on. that.

Or, if you’re in Kingston, go see Queen’s Players (the orig.)! It’s also super awesome, and the band this year is killer. Buy my man Charles a beer while you’re there, since he’s been doing sound for us since the beginning of time and has also done sound for some of the most bitchin’ bands that ever graced the international stages in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Seriously. The man’s a legend.

STARSHIPS WERE MEANT TO FLY! HANDS UP AND TOUCH THE SKY. CAN’T STOP ‘CUS WE’RE SO HIGH. LET’S DO THIS ONE MORE TIME!

I Owwwwwn That

With Queen’s Players coming up tonight, I FEEL LIKE DANCING TO THIS ALL DAY EVERY DAY

Stealing The Beat: Part III

This three-part series takes a deep look into one of my most treasured belongings: my drumstick collection.

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Here we are friends – the last installment. Looking back I wish I had organized it so this final post would be all “Whoa, cool! What a great band! Amazing!” Not to say that it isn’t this way. I guess it just depends if you like multiple Queen’s Players band drumsticks or not?

1. Dharma Love 1/27/04

Ah, Dharma Love. Dharma Love was a band that formed in Uxbridge by four hotties. When I was in highschool, I loved them. BFF and I would write LiveJournal posts ending with ourselves calling them Mrs. LastNameOfOurFaveMembers. It was very cool. And the entire school didn’t find out and make fun of us either, just in case you were wondering. They had this one song, More Than Doing What You Feel Is Right Is Coming To Conclusions As To Why You Think What You Feel Is Right, a totally normal and easy to say name of a song. Here’s a vid for An Honest Prayer – if you look close, you can totally see a Grade 11 me at around 1:57 in. The drummer, Phil, was my real infatuation. At one show, he handed me a whisp of wheat that was decorating the theatre (I know, what the dude?) and I have it to this day. Phil, if you’re out there… I always thought your nose ring was the coolest.

2. OKGO

While this is one of the more impressive sticks, it also really bothers me. It’s the only one the band has signed the name of their band and one of two that’s autographed (Hello Kelly is the other one). Not that that’s a bad thing, it’s just that I like order and them all to be the same. OKGO is also written in the opposite direction from all the other sticks, which is a bit of a bitch. It was a great show though – in Kingston at The Grad Club around… I want to say fall of 2006 or something? And yes, they did amazing dancing in synch, and it was the best I’ve ever seen.

3. Trevor And The N-Bombs, Queen’s Fall Players, Derek Zwiep

Man, I really wish I had been better at dating these Players drumsticks. It would be a pain to go back and match them up with the shows, especially because the band names were really unofficial and never printed in the program. This one was funny not because of the N-Bombs joke, but because they had a trumpet player in the band that only played a couple of songs – he was totally part of the core group – and everyone thought his name was Trevor.

His name was Tyler.

4. Boardumb – Darren Ellery

Boardumb! I totally forgot I had this drumstick. This one might have actually been the real first drumstick… this was my neighbours garage band, and they were… good… super… good… If you gave them a teeshirt, they would take it home and Sharpie the name of the band on it. Very professional. I gave them their first real slogan – “Boardumb – We Don’t Suck.” My royalties will be huge.

5. Queen’s Players Band – Fall 07

Okay, now this has come back to bite me for sure. Yes, the date is helpful. The name of the band would have been too though. Therefore – I got nothin’.

6. Queen’s Players – The Killer Whales 09

The Killer Whales. This was actually from the first show where they started the Orca trophy for Best Whale by the band. They had this way of taking the guitar and making it sound like a whale… wailing… whaling… and hence, the Orca was born. It was much needed in response to the Gouda trophy that the cast could receive – now the band could receive their due. For more info on the history of the trophys, check out this link.

7. xDestroying Decemberx – 1/27/04

Yeah, you like those straight edge x’s by the name? Brings you back, am I right? I used to be straight edge too, until I tired alcohol, and then I wasn’t. This was from the same show Dharma Love played. About this show: it was organized to raise money for me to be Miss Teen Lindsay. Yeah, I know. It was crazy; a few of us signed up for this competition and I was selected as Miss Teen Lindsay. I had to raise money to go to the finals so I decided to do something cool. I got the Senior’s Centre in Fenelon Falls for free (it was where all the local shows were) and with the help of my Boardumb neighbour Kent, I had a bunch of bands play. I even got our local Sobeys where half the high school worked to donate bottled water. I can’t remember how much money I made, but I can tell you that I did not go on to the next level and copped out. I was still in the paper though!

Stealing The Beat: Part II

This three-part series takes a deep look into one of my most treasured belongings: my drumstick collection.

We’re back here for Part II of this three-part series, taking a look at the remnants of some of the concerts that formed me as a person, made my soul the way it is today, and were an aid to me in times of both happiness and unease – drumsticks from wicked awesome shows!

1. Moneen – 21/10/04

Moneen is and was a great band. I think they were underrated actually. One of the things I really liked about them was that when I went online to buy a tee-shirt from them, they actually mailed the package themselves, and included free pins and stickers too. It was really cool, especially for the band-infatuated 18 year old I was. Wow – it just hit me that I was 18 when I went to their show. I feel like I was 16 or something… it’s blowing my mind. Anyway – here’s their best song in my head: Are We Really Happy With Who We Are. Also – they’re Canadian.

2. The Cowboys – 08/01/07

Man, the Cowboys were awesome. They were a three-piece jokey-band from Queen’s University and they’d play every Monday night at Clark Hall Pub. They had a pretty strong following of about eleven of us die-hard regulars who would go every Monday night and sit on the floor in a semi-circle while they played Eleventeen, a super emo song. Other hits included Chop Chop Chop, FaceBook, and my personal favorite, Satan Is My Best Friend. They were briefly reunited at the recent surprise engagement party we attended – their drummer/guitar player was the one proposing. Our ride home was the tuba player, and the other third, the Dr., as he is called, was their amazing toy guitar player. If I could make one wish in the world, in whole, wide world… it would be for The Cowboys to get back together. This hilarious video I found online is a great example of just how loved the Cowboys were. I even have an embarrassing appearance at around 4:20 in. Note – the vid starts for real at about 1:15 in. There’s even a reference to the song Airing Your Grievances, now a Queen’s Players staple, that is actually copyrighted by The Cowboys. If you don’t know, now you know, Playa.

3. Finnish On The Chest – Queen’s Players – 16/06/07

I know I should be writing about Finnish on the Chest, but I’m still really hopped on The Cowboys right now, sorry. Finnish on the Chest is another Queen’s Player band. They had white tee-shirts with the Finnish blue cross on them. They never cease to amaze with their puns, amazing band skills, and hilarious names.

4. Mother Mother 04/09/11

In case you missed the review from the show in Peterborough, Coworker, Him and I saw the band a couple of weeks ago now, or last week, or something like that. They were fantastic and I suggest you check out His entry here to get a feel for their music and listen to all three of their albums for free.

5. Cory Roberts and The Mixed Goods – 12/31/08

Yup, you read it right. New Years Eve baby. This was the first winter that He and I were officially-officially dating and I went to visit him in New Brunswick so we could ring in the new year together. We went to a local pub where his friend was playing in this band and spent the night drinking and dancing – it was a great time. I think this is definitely the way to go as far as New Years goes – a pub, a band, and limited cover. In New Brunswick.

6. Hello Kelly – 04/16/05

Hello Kelly is the band of the brother of a friend of mine. We really enjoyed their stuff in high school, though they were a Christian band, so I bet you weren’t expecting that! They do have a really cute Christmas song though, that is more about hot chocolate than the birth of JC. Check out this video and enjoy a healthy taste of pop-punk from the early 2000’s.

7. Hot Hot Heat – 04/19/05

From that same show blogged in the previous edition of Stealing the Beat, Hot Hot Heat played in Peterborough back in 2005. They were so much smaller then too. The stage at the Trasheteria is at one end with all the rooms for the stars at the other, so they have to walk directly through the crowd to get to the stage. BFF talked for a long time about how Steve Bays had to tap her on the shoulder to get her to move out of the way. We were front row, and he sweated and spat into our faces all night. It was awesome.

Stealing The Beat: Part I

This three-part series takes a deep look into one of my most treasured belongings: my drumstick collection.

 

When I was in highschool I was super into music. Like, concerts all the time, all the shitty local bands – this was my bag. After a few shows I started telling bands I had a drumstick collection so I could take home some memorabilia. It wasn’t exactly a lie – it was entirely a lie. However, after the first couple suckers actually fell for this, I did have a collection. And it was awesome.

1. Red Rocket – 2003

This might have been the first bad boy to enter my “collection.” Red Rocket was a band from Uxbridge or one of those places. They were hot. My friend Krystal introduced me to them and I immediately dug them. I just Googled them and unless they relocated to West London, I’m pretty sure they don’t exist anymore.

2. Protest the Hero – 03/15/04

Protest the Hero came to play the Peterborough Trasheteria back in 2004. I find it funny that they still exist and I totally forget that I once saw them play. My neighbour, Kent, who was super into music and I tried to avoid walking to school with because it was awkward, introduced me to them. I remember they were like 15 but in this band. I think we might have even hung out with them at Tim Horton’s (the only place 15 year olds can go after hours) after their show. PS – Just Googled them and they were actually 14.

3.  Stinky Pinkies – Players, 2006

Before I delve into the Pinkies, I’d like to point out that I know none of these dating systems on the sticks are similar – one of my only true regrets in life. Carrying on. the Stinky Pinkies were the Queen’s Players band of the first show I ever did. They always have a different name – you’ll see many of them here – and it’s always ridiculous. Some members of the Pinkies are still doing music now – you can check out Tim O’Reilly’s band Free Whiskey anytime they come to Toronto and remind him of when he once was a Stinky Pinky and played the trumpet while having the worst poison ivy I’ve ever seen.

4. Whale Tooth – 04/09/11

Whale Tooth is my second newest stick. I got it Saturday night at the Mother Mother show at the Red Dog Tavern. The guy was really decent about it and I appreciated it. I’m sure it will be worth a lot of money someday.

5. Guess Who Guessed What

This is the second Players drumstick in this installment, but I have no idea where it is in the order of shows, because I didn’t mark the date on it. Good one.

6. The Weakerthans – 03/30/09

I gotta say, Weakerthans might be one of my faves. I saw them in Kingston at the Ale House and they put on a hell of a show. I really liked that when you went to see them live, the main singers voice, which is very distinctive, was exactly the same as it sounds on their CD’s.

7. The Premiums – 11/28/03

I had to actually stop here for a second and think of The Premiums even still existed. I Googled them and got this, so I’m going to go with a hearty No. It’s too bad – they were actually really good. They opened for Hot Hot Heat with The Unicorns, again, at the Trasheteria. They’re a super fun band so I suggest you find a way to listen to their only CD they ever made, back in 2003, eight years ago.

The First of (Hopefully) Many – The Proposal

Well, the secret secret is out!

Two of our good friends from Queen’s Players show did the deed – no, not that deed (though they did 4 years ago, resulting in the cutest and first Players baby ever…). They got ENGAGED!

If you know me, I love weddings. I love, love, love weddings. And this will probably be a bitchin’ one.

He set her up on a scavenger hunt of all her favorite Kingston haunts – where they first met at Players auditions, her house, where they lived when they first had the babe, the QP, all kinds of great things. He even incorporated snacks – it was clearly the best proposal of all time.

I also loved that he incorporated her BFF into the whole thing. Ever since I first saw this episode of Scrubs back in highschool, I wanted my BFF to run around with with sparklers when I was proposed to.

Isn’t that the best?

We arrived alive in Kingston, but just barely. Sneariously, the snow was insane! We were crawling on the highway and I saw about seven cars pulled over to the side of the road. It was very difficult because I am a nervous passenger, but also had to pee. I couldn’t decide if I wanted her to drive faster or slower…

We did make it though, and met up with His BFF for some chinese good – a great choice. Then it was off to Time to Laugh, a comedy club where our shows are put on. The manager is amazing and had given us the run of the place.

I would like to take this moment to describe how awesome it is to have a bar to yourselves. No coat check, no need to worry about leaving your expensive camera or wallet lying about. You’re among friends – it was the best.

The Players band played and put on a good show for us, and there was some mad dancing. On the way home we also saw several really funny downtown Kingston regulars, doing their thing… a guy passed out on the sidewalk by Pizza Pizza with his fly down, having an ambulance come get him… a guy swearing and chasing a taxi down Princess Street… it’s reasons like this I miss Kingston a whole heck of a lot.

A great trip overall – short, but super sweet. I hope He takes some notes!

She Does The City Contest – BAM!

Hey all,

Wanted to let any readers of this know about She Does The City’s new reality show – BAM!

I’m not using this as self-promo (but if I did, would I have to bill myself?). I’m too much sleep, not enough party for that. But I am using it to promote my friend – Hallae K.

She’s made it to the top 4 girls, which means she’ll be posting a video every Thursday for 4 weeks on the She Does The City site. Their final prize is a Kodak camera I believe, as well as $1,000. Not too shabby. Plus, it’s probably an insane amount of fun.

I probably also owe her some props since she used some Queen’s Players footage in her film, and if it wasn’t for Him, I would totally be dating Players.

As a former reality show winner,* I’m pretty jealous of her getting to showcase her ass all over the city.

Anyways – vote for her (or the other girls, but mostly just Hallae)! At the very least, check out the show.

Hallae as the Exorcist Chick, Her as Carrie

*Last February I was selected to be a participant on the Humber Lakeshore Campus reality show – Big Brother Humber Edition**. Another girl from my class was also selected to be on the show, and we were video taped for 24 hours, depending on how long we lasted. We had to endure challenges like a jump rope competition, escaping from a mummy-style saran wrap outfit, Pictionary, etc. We actually made it to the top 2 through only some minor deceit (okay, one guy called me a bitch and said he could never be my friend. What a baby.) and our entire class came out to vote for us. She came in 2nd, winning a sweet reading week vacation, and I came in 1st, winning myself $1,000.

**I should also point out that the video footage was streamed live, and that He stayed up almost all night watching us, and woke up at 7 a.m. the next morning to keep watching. Not only that, but He took notes on the other contestants confessions so I could know what they said later. Please email Him for His address in order to send Him the Best BF Of The Year Award. Cash preferred.